A very Hermione story
by ohhockeydays
Summary: Hermione, Ron and Harry decide to return to Hogwarts to finish their seventh year but when they arrive they get a shock! Slytherin has been abolished and replaced with a very strange house. Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the characters, I do not.
1. Chapter 1

**The Arrival**

"Harry! Nice to see you!"

"Harry, buddy, give me five!"

"Well done, Harry."

"Thank you so much, Harry!"

"Could I please have your autograph, Mr. Potter?"

Hermione saw Harry's smirk. He gave his fan club a wave and walked on. Boy, had he gotten big-headed over the summer! He seemed to be the local celebrity at Hogwarts. Hogwarts! She was at Hogwarts! Finally, after over a year, she was going to **study** again. She had been looking forward to this. She had not, however, expected Harry to be such a jerk. He'd barely said two words to her since meeting up at King's Cross. Ron on the other hand was all over here. Kissing her and holding hands and chatting casually. He didn't even seem to notice Harry. Sometimes she wished that she was a better girlfriend. She loved Ron so much and had waited for him for so long, so why did this feel so wrong? Why wasn't she completely absorbed in Ron?

She was back at Hogwarts. Even thinking those words made her feel empowered and brave again. She was going to ace every exam and be top of every class, she was going to be Ron's girlfriend and hopefully marry him when the year was up. She was going to get a good job in the ministry and eventually, hopefully, become the Minister of Magic. She was going to have a great life with her wonderful husband and beautiful children who were all going to attend Hogwarts. Her life was going to be perfect.

They entered the Great Hall and took their seats at the Gryffindor table. She noticed that all the tables were just about full except for the Slytherin table, which was completely empty. All the Slytherins were standing in a neat line beside a wall. Among them she noticed some very familiar blonde hair. She had wondered if Draco Malfoy would dare to return. She had been reading the paper all summer and had followed his trial with great interest. The Ministry had not given him a prison sentence. Actually, they had all but pardoned him. It was very strange but she knew that Lucius Malfoy had received a more extreme punishment than expected, 10 years in Azkaban and seizure of nearly all his belongings. Of course there was only Draco left now. His mother had committed suicide after the last fight. Draco and Lucius had not dared to follow in her footsteps. They had always been cowards. And poor Draco wasn't left with a penny of that fortune that he'd always bragged about. Hogwarts was his home now and who knew what he was going to do after this year. That must have been why he had returned. "Education is and always will be the key to a good job" as her primary school teacher had told her. Suddenly Draco looked up and met her glance with unfeeling cold eyes. She suddenly felt sorry for him and looked down quickly. To lose everything in a couple of months couldn't have been easy. At this moment McGonagall stood up and clapped her hands.

"Students, listen up! As you all know this last year has been somewhat chaotic but I am very happy to be welcoming you all back to Hogwarts and welcome especially to the former ex-students who've come to their senses! I'll make a few quick announcements and then the feast can begin."

"First-of-all, I and Professor Snape will be acting as co-headmasters this year. I will be in charge of student matters while Professor Snape will see to teacher matters. So it's me you are to come to if you have any problems. Second-of-all I regret to inform you that the Ministry has strongly advised us to see to the discontinuation of the house of Slytherin."

A chorus of voices was heard all at once.

"The school has therefore made the decision to start a new house in its place but with other pupils. This means that all Slytherin pupils will have to be sorted all over again. This new house will be called the house of Dumbledore! The characteristics of this house will be courage, leadership and excellent planning and organising skills. I wish to remind you that these may be hidden talents. I have a list of the students that are to join this house which Professor Snape will proceed to read after we have sorted the new students and the ex-slytherins."

The Slytherins were accordingly sorted. Hermione held her breath under Pansy's sorting but was relieved to hear a very clear Ravenclaw called out. Draco put on the sorting hat and was sorted into Dumbledore. "I wish to remind you that these may be hidden talents." The headmistress had definitely been right about that. Draco was one of the biggest cowards she knew. After the sorting Snape cleared his voice and waited for silence.

"I shall now proceed to read the list of Dumbledore students. You will not take over the old Slytherin quarters but will instead reside in a tower that has been off-limits to students previously, but you will be told all the practicalities in a very short while. Very well: Rainer Wolfskin…"

The list continued and Snape finally arrived at the 7th years: "…Betty Corskin, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Bob Barnacle…"

WAIT! What was this? Why was Snape calling her name? She couldn't possibly be in another house. And why was Harry stuck in Gryffindor? If anyone deserved to be in Dumbledore it was Harry! She stood up and walked to the Dumbledore table with the others. Somehow she managed to seat herself behind Draco Malfoy. The feast had begun and there were plenty of dishes to choose from but she wasn't hungry. She ignored Draco throughout the meal and talked to Luna, who'd also been sorted into Dumbledore. She then went with the other Dumbledores to their new quarters. Their head of house who was also the new Defense against dark arts teacher, Mrs. Florgle, whispered the password _Lemon sorbet_ to the fireplace which swung open. They were shown the common room which was a comfortable room with plenty of sofas and books. She caught a glance of an edition of _Mein Kampf_ in the shelf. She got a funny feeling that all was not right with this house. She made her way to her dorm that she was to share with a bunch of people she didn't know very well. All her bags were there, ready to be unpacked. She needed to think so she unpacked without magic. There was a curfew so she couldn't go and see Ron until the next day. What was she going to do? She desperately needed to talk to someone! She pulled out an old teddy-bear from her bag. Well it was better than nothing. So she told him the whole story. It actually made her feel better. Suddenly she realised that she was alone in the dorm.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I am sorry to say that I do not own any of these characters. They are the work of J.K. Rowling.

Alone

Hermione was wondering where everyone had got to when there was a knock at her door. She ran to open it and was surprised to find Draco Malfoy outside. She stared at him and he looked disconcerted but managed to utter a quiet "Hello, Granger".

She continued to stare at him, the shock evident in her face. He spoke again, "There's some sort of meeting going on downstairs. I'm guessing that they didn't tell you about it either. Everyone else is down there." She couldn't even manage to answer him. What was wrong with him? Why was he talking to her? She walked past him and headed toward the common room. When she arrived she slipped into a dark corner and tried to look as if she'd been there all along. Their head of house, Mrs. Florgle, was speaking, "As you all know, every one of you has been asked and have consented to join this house, except of course for the Slytherins." Old habits die hard and Hermione felt her hand automatically shoot in the air. Mrs. Florgle frowned at her. "Yes, miss?". Hermione stood up. "My name is Hermione Granger and I just wished to point out that I didn't know that I had been placed in this house." Mrs. Florgle frowned and seemed to ransack her memory. "Oh yes, you were Mr. Potter's replacement. We didn't have time to talk to you". A lot of the other Dumbledores started whispering and some of the Slytherin's even shivered at Harry's name. Hermione suddenly understood why Harry was still in Gryffindor.

While she was digesting this information Mrs. Florgle had continued speaking. "I will now hold a short presentation of the house for Ms. ehm Granger and the Slytherins. Goodnight to the rest of you and I shall see you tomorrow. Remember to make your dorm rotas." Most of the students filed out leaving Hermione with a bunch of racist Death Eater-sympathizers. Their teacher cleared her throat and set off on another monologue. Hermione's hand was itching to take notes. "As you might have understood, this house will focus on leadership and organizing. Our aim is to educate the future leaders of the wizarding world. To achieve this you will practise leadership skills in the school. You will still be taking your N.E.W.T. subjects but you will also have a few night classes. I understand that this will inevitably lead to more homework but I can assure you that it will be worth it. You will also be expected to help organize school activities and tutor struggling students". There was a unanimous groan. "This will force you to organize you lives. Now any questions before I hand out these Dumbledore booklets that contain what you need to know?" Malfoy raised his hand tentatively. "Ma'am, I was just wondering about the Quidditch team." Mrs. Florgle looked slightly uncomfortable. "A very good question Mr. Malfoy. Yes, the thing about Quidditch is that it takes up quite a lot of time so we have decided to erm not have a Quidditch team." The room suddenly exploded with agitated voices. Hermione was in shock. How could they NOT have a Quidditch team? Florgle sensed that something was wrong. "I shall however be speaking to the headmasters tomorrow if you wish us to change our decision." An affirmative chorus of voices was heard.

After this the teacher proceeded to hand out booklets and schedules. Hermione received hers and went upstairs. On her dorm door she found the mysterious rota that Florgle had mentioned. Every week there was to be a head of dorm and the function of the rota was to say when it was each student's week. Her name was at the very bottom of the list. She did not seem to be very popular. She snuck inside and quickly changed into her pyjamas before getting into her bed. Everyone else appeared to be sleeping so she was left alone with her thoughts. She had so many questions. She couldn't wait to see Ron and talk to him. She wondered why the people in her house didn't like her. Draco didn't seem to be very popular either, which was quite understandable. If she had still been in Gryffindor she wouldn't even have _considered_ speaking to him. Maybe it would get better. They couldn't ignore her forever, or at least she hoped so. She also thought a lot about Harry. He must have been the one to recommend her to the house of Dumbledore but she wished that he'd told her what he'd done. She knew that this was a great opportunity and a stepping-stone in her future career but at the moment she would much rather have been in Gryffindor. She fell asleep after much tossing and turning.

A/N: I'm sorry about the short chapters. I'll try to write a longer one next time! Thank you so much for all your reviews. I was so glad to find out that someone actually reads what I'm writing. I love constructive criticism so feel free to write about anything that you find strange. Please review, it doesn't take too long but it makes a very big difference to me. At the moment I'm trying to find a reason for Ron and Hermione to break up. If you've got any good ideas just review!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: The sudden resurrection of deceased characters is just wishful thinking on my part. Please don't ruin it! Extra points to the people who find out what my title means

Disclaimer: I am sorry to announce that I am not the owner of the Harry Potter characters. I'm just the one who decides what they do!

**3. Docendo discimus**

Hermione gasped and sat up. She'd had another nightmare. Ever since the Battle of Hogwarts she had relived the deaths of her friends every night. She didn't know how many times she had woken up screaming. She had thought that she'd get over it after a while but she didn't. It was just as awful every time. She glanced at her Muggle alarm clock, 5 AM. Perfect, no breakfast to be seen for ages! She was wide awake and knew that she couldn't fall asleep again so she got up and showered. Her clothes had been charmed to bear the Dumbledore colours, blue and gold, and it felt strange not to wear her her normal colours. She had been amused to find that her house animal was a phoenix and wondered, not for the first time, what Dumbledore would have thought of all this.

Hermione studied her new schedule. With the amount of classes she was taking she had no idea how she would have time to do all her homework and help out with all the leadership stuff. It was no wonder that the teachers had thought of cutting their Quidditch team, not that she was totally against the idea. She wondered if Harry had known about the lack of team before making his decision. Personally she hated flying, apparating might be uncomfortable but compared to flying... But both Ron and Harry loved flying. Oh , Ron! She would have to make time for him too. She missed him much more than she cared to admit. It didn't matter that they argued constantly, she still loved him. She missed him already. She walked downstairs to her common room. There was a nice fire in the hearth and she sat down in a comfortable chair. She'd brought some textbooks with her and looked forward to a good hour of studying before breakfast. She needed to refresh her memory on Ancient runes anyway. After a while she felt a strange tingling in her neck and turned around. There in the shadows she saw her least favourite blonde in the world. He smirked at her. "At it already, Granger?". Her temper flared up. "I see you've already started spying too, Malfoy". She spit othe words out but felt a strange surge of regret when she saw him go even paler. He bit his lip and actually looked a bit ashamed. What in the world was wrong with Draco Malfoy? He looked into her eyes and started stuttering. "L-l-look, I-I d-didn't mean t-to." His confidence seemed to grow a teeny bit. "I was going to act differently this year, I have to change. I _have_ to change. Look, I'm just sorry, okay?" Malfoy fled the room to Hermione's astonishment. Here she had an 18 year old ex-Death Eater apologizing to her and acting really weird! Her stomach disrupted her musings and she shrunk her book to fit in her pocket and decided to go and have breakfast.

While she hurried down the corridors she hoped, against all odds, that Ron had decided to have an early breakfast. She barged through the doors and felt her face light up when she saw her boyfriend sitting at the Gryffindor table. She decided to sneak up behind him, as he was busy in a quidditch conversation with Harry. She placed her hands over his eyes and murmured in his ear. "Guess who?". He turned around and drew her onto his lap. "Hello 'Mione, I've missed you". He gave her a sheepish grin. She hugged him and gave him a quick kiss. "I've missed you too, Won-Won". He made a disgusted face but leaned in to kiss her again.

"Awh guys, get a room!" They broke apart to see Harry viewing his breakfast with a disgusted face. "I don't think I'm hungry anymore!" Ron just grinned but Hermione smiled, took Ron's fork and speared one of Harry's waffles. "Since you're not hungry…" Harry slapped her hand away and growled at her. "No, it's mine, all mine, MY precious". They all burst out laughing. Harry was the first to recover. "Honestly 'Mione, with you eating Ron's face I don't understand what you want with my breakfast." Hermione slipped out of Ron's grasp and started heaping food on a plate of her own. Harry eyed her furtively. "Ehm, 'Mione? Are you alright?". She turned to glare at him and felt her temper building up again. "No, _Potter_, I am most certainly not alright. At this moment I am trying to eat instead of trying to strangle you! Honestly if you weren't my friend I would hex you so hard! Do you have any idea what you've done?" Ron gulped beside her but decided to be brave. "Love, are they really that awful?" She continued glaring at Harry. "Well if I say that the nicest person in my year is Draco bloody Malfoy I think that sums it up." "Yikes", Ron said. Then as suddenly as her temper had flared up it subsided. "Look I'm sorry Harry, I know it's not your fault. I've just had a bit of a rough time. I'm sure you meant well." Harry looked a bit cast down and Hermione felt even worse. "Sorry, Harry, I'm sure this is all temporary. I'll be fine in a day or two and we've still got lots of classes together." She smiled at him and he looked a bit happier. She looked up to see Ginny bouncing toward them. She was in their year now since they had to redo it.

Hermione really wished that Luna was in her year but since she had been kidnapped she had missed too much school and had to redo her 6th year. It would have been nice to have at least one friend. She started eating and realized that she was starving. She didn't feel at all like sitting at the Dumbledore table so she decided not to. Anyway, it was normal for couples to sit together. She saw Luna sitting all alone however and felt a bit bad for her. Hermione waved at her and motioned for her to come and join them. Luna stood up and hopped on one leg toward them. Ron grinned at her and asked "What's wrong, Luna?" She looked at them as if they were stupid. "Oh just the hornheaded snappers attacking my left leg again." Everyone tried to keep themselves from smiling. The rest of the breakfast passed quickly, too quickly. It was time for their first Defence against Dark Arts lesson with their new teacher and head of Dumbledore, Mrs. Florgle. They made their way to the classroom and Hermione sat down next to Ron who put an arm around her waist. Maybe her being in a different house didn't matter too much. They all got out their textbooks and chatted.

Mrs. Florgle strode down the hallway, armed with a textbook and her wand. She had attended this school as a student twenty years ago and had been an exceptionally talented Ravenclaw. She had been an auror for many years before deciding to become a teacher. All the other teachers had been very nice to her, she knew most of them from her Hogwarts years and she was feeling very pleased with herself. Now she was going to teach the Boy-who-Lived to perform some cool magic and she was definitely looking forward to that.

Hermione quietened down when their new teacher walked into the room. She really hoped that she'd learn something this year. They had had way too many DADA-teachers. She just hoped this wasn't another Umbridge. Mrs. Florgle cleared her voice and the class quietened down expectantly.

"Hello class. My name is Mary Florgle and I am an ex-auror. I have never been a teacher before but I'm looking forward to the experience. I used to attend this school, ages and ages ago. Of course I was a Ravenclaw so I'm more accustomed to their way of thinking. Now this is a class in Defence against Dark Arts and I'm sure that all of you here are very experienced witches and wizards so I'll only try to teach you practical things that I don't think you know. However we will start this term with studying a bit of Dark Arts history. Now I know that the Dark Arts is a very fascinating subject to study and honestly, how many of us haven't toyed with the idea of using dark magic? If you open up your textbooks on page 56 I would like you to read the following three chapters and write me a 10-inch parchment on why the Dark Arts are fascinating for next class."

Hermione and Harry exchanged pensive looks. A DADA teacher a bit too fascinated by the Dark Arts? This didn't sound very good. And what was with the long monologues anyway?


	4. Chapter 4

**A Rhetorical Ball**

Much to Hermione's dismay the classes flew by that day. They had gotten lots of homework and everything was just a tiny bit harder, as could be expected. She missed having Snape in potions. Who would have thought that? Not that Slughorn wasn't a good teacher, he just wasn't Snape. Snape had been rude, unfair and downright horrible but he was probably the greatest potioneer she knew and she really wanted to learn from the best. Slughorn had seemed shocked at Harry's rapidly decreasing potion skills but had attributed it to being a little out of practise. She and Ron had snickered quietly at this. Everything was back to the way it was supposed to be, except that now she was earning points for a different house. She had also heard that they were to have a quidditch team, much to everyone elses happiness. She spent the entire day with the Gryffindors and only left them when she had another Dumbledore meeting. This was a meeting for the seventh years where they were supposed to get a few assignments and plan something. She headed toward her common room, leaving Ron and Luna talking about wrackspurts.

She was the first person in the commonroom so she pulled out her Arithmancy textbook and studied a bit. Everyone, including the strange Mrs. Florgle, arrived about five minutes later. Florgle took the floor and prepared to give another monologue. Hermione got her parchment and quill ready.

"Quieten down please, this meeting won't take very long. For the first four weeks of this term we will focus on a popular Muggle subject, rhetorics. I am going to hand out a textbook on how to write a good speech and you will have these four weeks to prepare a five minute speech on whatever subject you want. In four weeks time you will all have to know your speeches by heart and will stand here and recite them to your classmates. Also, the teachers and staff here at Hogwarts have decided to hold a ball in honour of our victory in defeating the Dark Lord. This ball will be held on this coming 20th of December. You will be in charge of planning this with the 6th year Dumbledores. I would recommend splitting up into different groups for this. Now, without further ado, I shall hand out the books and be on my way."

She left them and walked away, murmuring something about a nice cup of coffee and Hermione started looking in her book. She didn't like oral presentations. Everyone stared at you and noticed everything you did, and with this house it wouldn't be any fun. She heard the others discussing when to have a meeting about the ball. They finally agreed on the next day, after the choosing of the quidditch captains. She saw Malfoy sitting in a corner alone and felt a sudden urge to talk to him. She decided to act on her impulse and walked over to him. "Hello, Malfoy", she said in a gentle voice. He whirled around and stared at her. "Granger", he spat out. She smiled, nothing had changed. She decided to at least try to be civil. "So what are you planning on writing your speech on?" The pathetic thing was that talking to Malfoy was more fun than hearing the others planning a stupid ball. "I dunno actually. Doesn't seem too fun, does it?" He seemed nervous again. She smiled encouragingly. "I have no idea what to write about either. It's not exactly my cup of tea." He downright smirked when she said that. She smiled back at him. She had no hard feelings so she could talk to him, right? It wasn't too weird, was it? She knew what Ron would have said, or rather shouted. His temper was only matched by hers but he hated Malfoy much more than she did. Someone cleared their throat, a self-proclaimed leader that Hermione recognized as a former Ravenclaw. She ran through what the rest of the group had decided. Hermione didn't listen too much. She wasn't exactly the person to get herself all excited about a ball, but the last one that she'd been to in 4th year had been very nice to begin with. Something the Ravenclaw, whatever her name was, said caught Hermione's ear. "Not allowed to go with whoever you want, it's going to be a lottery." Hermione sighed loudly and heard Malfoy chuckle behind her. There went her chance of going with anyone halfway decent, or Ron for that matter. She just wasn't a very lucky person and she'd probably end up with some stupid little Hufflepuff.

She made her way to the Great Hall for dinner. Ron, Harry, Ginny and Luna were already there. She sat down with them and smiled. Soon they were all deep in a conversation about Snape and Florgle. There had been a lot of rumours about the two of them, they had after all known eachother at Hogwarts. Hermione had a very bad feeling about Florgle, she seemed way too interested in the Dark Arts for her own good. Luna kept going on and on about some strange animal that had attached itself to McGonagall's head and lived off her brain. It didn't sound very nice and Hermione couldn't hide her disgust. Ron seemed to find it fascinating anyway and they chatted on and on about it. She went to the library to study afterwards. No one felt like coming with her, not even Ron, so she got everything done twice as quickly as usual. She even started reading the stupid book on rhetorics before going to bed. She was the first person to go to bed. Everyone else was till in the common room chatting and getting along. Well Malfoy didn't seem to be there either. It seemed like they were outcasts. She would make darn sure she was in the same planning group as Luna for the ball. She fell asleep quickly and dreamed awful dreams, as usual.

Beep-beep-beep. Hermione woke up to her Muggle alarm clock's annoying beeping. She got up and showered as none of the other girls were up yet and went to have some breakfast. Ron wasn't there yet. She sat down at the Gryffindor table anyway and had a bit of breakfast. She noticed Snape and Florgle arriving together, talking. Snape was actually almost smiling. Maybe there was some truth in the rumours. However, she didn't believe that he'd fathered a poor little Hufflepuff first year that supposedly had his hair and her blue eyes. The Hogwarts gossips were as bad as ever.

Ron didn't show up for breakfast, he'd probably overslept. She had breakfast with Harry and Ginny who looked like they were both trying not to snog the other senseless. She had her classes as normal and earned 15 points for Dumbledore. After classes they all gathered in the Great Hall to hear who the new quidditch captains were. Harry was chosen as Gryffindor captain, not surprisingly and Malfoy was chosen for Dumbledore. Hermione wondered how that was going to work out, as everybody seemed to hate his guts.

Hermione hurried down the hall toward her common room where the ball meeting was to be held. When she arrived she found out that the annoying Ravenclaw had already sorted everyone into groups. Hermione was, to her immense relief, in the same group as Luna and Malfoy. They were supposed to plan the food. There were two other 6th years in their group, ex-Hufflepuffs, and they got on tolerably well. They decided on the courses and what to drink and went down to dinner together. Malfoy had been very quiet and the Hufflepuffs had glared at him. He had also been clearly disconcerted by Luna rubbing his right elbow to try and get rid of the so-called gobblewobbles. He had however spoken a little. They sat together at dinner and talked a bit about their head of year. Draco told them what he'd heard about Florgle from his dad. Hermione didn't really like gossiping, in case she got caught, but it was one of the few things everyone was comfortable doing. She went for a walk with Ron after dinner, ending up in the broom closet near his common room. It had been a good day. Maybe this year wouldn't be as horrible as she'd thought it would be.


	5. Chapter 5

**Over**

The weeks passed quickly after that. She studied a lot, wrote that stupid speech, performed it to an audience that wasn't even listening and before she knew it Halloween was in a few days. She had started talking more and more with Malfoy and had actually started sitting at the Dumbledore table. She was in a small group of friends with Malfoy, two younger Hufflepuffs and a Ravenclaw.

Quidditch hadn't actually been a problem for the Slytherin boy. The players wanted to win so bad that they actually listened to him. Their game against Gryffindor was coming up and everyone was looking forward to it.

Something that wasn't working out as well as Hermione had hoped was her relationship with Ron. He was really distant these days and hardly ever talked to her. She didn't know what to do. She had also seen that Harry and Ginny were having problems and it was all connected with a certain ex-Slytherin. Ginny had befriended Blaise Zabini who was now a Ravenclaw and Harry was jealous. Hermione had tried to calm him down but Harry was just too stubborn. Hermione knew what Ginny was like and she also knew that if Harry kept going like this he would lose her forever. It broke her heart to watch. She tried to avoid Harry and Ginny since she didn't seem to be doing any good. She had warned Harry and she had tried to persuade Ron to help out. However Ron was on Harry's side. He hated all Slytherins. She had tried to talk to him again when the worst fight they had ever had started.

"Look I'm sorry 'Mione but I don't trust Blaise and I don't trust Slytherins."

"They're not all bad, Ron!"

She was so frustrated she could scream. She was only trying to help.

"Just because you've decided to forgive Malfoy and play best friends doesn't mean we all have to!"

"Gosh, Ron! What's wrong with you? The war is OVER, accept it!"

"I will never like blood-obsessed Death Eaters!"

"Oh stop it Ronald. You know very well that the Malfoys joined our side. You have to start forgiving people!"

"Are you actually defending him? Hermione, he called you a mudblood!"

"That was ages ago! Have you EVER heard of MOVING ON?"

She was practically screaming now. She tried to stalk of but felt his hand on her arm and whipped around.

"WHAT?"

"I don't want you to see him anymore, Hermione."

"Are you KIDDING me?"

"I don't want you to see Malfoy anymore, 'Mione, and I hope you'll accept that."

She glared at him and started speaking in a dangerous voice.

"If you walk away right now, Ronald Weasley, I will pretend you never said that and we can go on being a couple but I am warning you right now, if you EVER try to dictate what I can and can't do we are over."

Ron looked uncertainly at her as if trying to see if she was bluffing. He backed down the hallway still staring at her. She watched him go. He seemed to have a change of heart, however, and walked back toward her.

"I'm sorry, 'Mione. I really am. I just got a bit overexcited."

He smiled weakly at her. She felt her face relax a bit.

"It's all right, Ron. I forgive you."

He reached out his hand and put it against her cheek. His other hand circled her waist and pulled her toward him. He bent his head down to kiss her. His soft lips circled hers. She let her hands run through his hair and pulled him even closer. He leaned down and whispered into her ear.

"Please, 'Mione, please don't be friends with him."

She broke out of his embrace and glared at him furiously.

"WHAT did you say?"

"Please, Hermione? I'm begging you."

She raised her hand and slapped him across the face as hard as she could. She could see her handprint on his cheek.

"If my hand wasn't obvious enough, Ron, I'm telling you now. Listen very carefully now or you might miss it this time too: we are over."

She turned on her heel and ran back toward her common room. Before she got very far the tears were running down her face. She didn't care. She had just entered when she ran straight into someone. She mumbled a quick apology before trying to keep walking. She was stopped by someone holding her arm and tilting her face up.

"What's wrong, Granger?"

He looked almost compassionate. She just needed some comfort right now. She didn't care if he was only friends with her because she didn't hate his guts. She put her hands around his neck and hugged him hard, still crying. He tried to soothe her, he wasn't very good at dealing with hysteric women. He rubbed his hand against her back. She calmed down after a few minutes. She looked up into his face.

"Oh I'm sorry, Malfoy."

He smiled weakly and let her go.

She set off toward her dormitory but turned around and looked at him.

"Thank you, Malfoy."

He smirked at her.

"Anytime, Granger."

He set off toward his own dormitory to get a new shirt. This one was positively revolting. He had no idea what to make of what had just happened.

0-0

A/N: Okay that was probably a really crappy chapter but I had to write something. I've been having a bit of a writer's block recently but I hope I'm back on track now.


	6. Chapter 6

Quosque tandem abutere, Catilina, patientia nostra

She walked slowly through the corridors, wanting them never to end. She felt like crap and was sure she looked it too. Breakfast. The thing she feared the most at the moment. She was just about to walk through the doors when someone joined her.

"Oh hi, Malfoy."

He nodded at her.

"Granger."

She could do this. She was a strong independent woman. She had fought the Dark Lord. This couldn't possibly be worse! She took a deep breath and walked toward her table, followed by Malfoy. She sat with the usual group. Malfoy talked a bit more than usual. She tried to eat but it was hard. She settled on black coffee instead. Someone sat down next to her.

"Hey, Hermione."

She nearly choked on her coffee.

"Ron? What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like? Just saying good morning to my girlfriend!"

She nearly choked again and turned toward him, her face livid.

"I. Am. Not. Your. Girlfriend."

He put on a fake pout.

"Come on, 'Mione. Are you gonna act like that again?"

"Is there something seriously wrong with your head?"

"Well there might as well have been after your little outburst last night! Aren't you gonna apologize?"

She was furious now.

"Let me say this one more time, Ron. We are over. Now will you please leave me alone?"

"Okay fine, I get it. You're angry. But come on 'Mione. You're my girlfriend!"

She was just about to punch him in the face when she heard another voice.

"I belive she broke up with you, Weasley. I managed to understand her the first time but maybe you need her to hit you again to do the same. Now would you please let us get back to our breakfast?"

"I'm not talking to you, Malfoy, I'm trying to talk to my girlfriend here. It's just a little lovers' tiff."

She was so angry she could scream. Instead she got up calmly and turned to walk toward the Gryffindor table. She was being followed by Ron the Dumb as she had just renamed him. She walked over to Harry and Ginny and tapped Harry on the shoulder.

"Your so-called best friend seems to be a bit dimwitted, Harry. Would you please tell him that I'm not his girlfriend anymore?"

Ron flushed, sensing that this was serious. She walked out of the hall, alone at last. She collected her books and went to her first class, Transfiguration, a little early. Mercifully her classmates left her alone that day.

She had just finished her homework in the library and was on her way toward the common room when she saw a figure standing in the shadows. She really hoped it wasn't Ron because she wouldn't be able to restrain herself if he called her his girlfriend one more time. When she got closer she saw that it was Harry. She found that a bit strange. What could Harry be doing there? He turned around when he heard her coming and smiled.

"Hey, 'Mione."

She was a bit puzzled. She hoped nothing was wrong.

"Hey, Harry. What's up?"

"Is it true that you broke up with Ron?"

Blunt as usual. She really hoped Ron hadn't sent him. She would like to keep at least one friend.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Frankly, I don't think that's any of your business."

She was annoyed now and she knew it showed.

"Are you sure you want to break up with him? I mean, is it really over?"

"Yes, I think so. I'm sorry, Harry, but there's nothing I can do."

"Yes there is. You broke up with him, right?"

Oh crap, he was taking Ron's side.

"Yes, but we are over, Harry, and nothing's going to change that."

"Can't you at least try, 'Mione?"

"What is it with you guys today? What's your problem? Can't you just leave me alone?"

Her eyes were blazing now. She really wanted to hit someone.

"But, 'Mione, you can't be serious."

"I'm bloody serious! Now why won't you leave me alone?"

"Look I just think you're going to regret this tomorrow."

She glared at him. Suddenly they heard a drawling tone.

"Is there a problem here?"

Hermione was the first to recover.

"No, Headmaster. In fact, I think Harry was just leaving."

She gave her friend a glare and he left without a look at Snape or Florgle who were standing beside each other looking rather surprised. She turned to leave.

"Going somewhere, Ms. Granger?"

Snape's voice again.

"Just back to my common room. I trust you don't want to speak to me."

"Well actually I want you to explain what just happened with Potter."

"It's nothing, Headmaster. I really don't want to bother you with the details. You don't want to know."

He glared at her.

"I will be the judge of that, Ms. Granger."

She sighed. Since when did the teachers care about their students' personal lives?

"I broke up with Ron and now Harry wants me to get back with him. That's all."

"I very much doubt that, Ms. Granger, however it is sufficient. Now you may proceed to your common room."

She left as quickly as she could but she could still hear Florgle and Snape talking. She was asking him to teach her some spell or other and calling him Severus. It was enough to make her feel sick. She really hoped that tomorrow was going to turn out better.

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A/N: Sorry, this is a crappy chapter too. I couldn't fall asleep (I drank too much coffee today) so I'm posting this now because I won't be able to post again in a week or so. Please review and tell me what you think! Brownie points to the person who knows what the title means


	7. Chapter 7

**I gave you a chance**

She woke up the next morning full of remorse. What had she done? She had broken up with the man she loved and then argued with her best friend about it. How stupid could she get? She needed to talk to Ron. She knew that he'd forgive her. They were meant to be together. She dressed in a nice blue blouse and light jeans. It was a Saturday and she knew that Harry and Ron would be having breakfast in half an hour before Quidditch practice. She got ready, wanting to look pretty. She walked down the stairs and toward the Hall. She opened the door and was just about to head toward the Gryffindor table when she saw something that made her stop dead in her tracks. Ron was sitting there making out with her so-called friend, Luna. She couldn't move, couldn't speak. How could he do this to her? She felt a hand on her arm.

"Come on, Granger, it won't do any good to stare. That's exactly what he wants."

He led her toward their customary seats at the Dumbledore table.

"Why do you even care, Malfoy?"

He gave her one of his infamous smirks.

"Oh, I don't. I just happen to really dislike Weasley. I didn't think you had such bad taste, Granger."

She gave him a small smile.

"Cos Pansy was such an amazing girlfriend, right?"

He couldn't help but smile at that. She noticed how it made his eyes come to life, the coldness replaced with amusement.

"Point taken, Granger."

They had breakfast together, chatting about homework. She had never before been so relaxed with a Slytherin. She was about to leave when she saw Ginny coming toward her. The redhead enveloped her in a hug. Hermione hugged her back hard.

"Do you have anything you need to do, 'Mione? I was thinking we could have a talk."

"That sounds lovely, Ginny. I can come with you right now if you want."

They left together and went for a walk, ending up by the lake.

"Hermione, I wanted to apologize. I know I haven't talked to you in ages and I'm really sorry about my brother.

Hermione swallowed and tried to keep her voice calm before answering.

"Well from what I've heard it seems that you and Harry are having the same problem."

"Mmm yes, Blaise. What do you think of him, 'Mione?"

She gave her friend a warm smile.

"I know he thinks the world of you, Gin. I've never really talked to him though. He's definitely hot though!"

They both giggled.

"So, 'Mione, I was just wondering if it's too soon after Ron for you to move on. Well it's just that Blaise doesn't have a girlfriend."

"Stop. Don't say another word, Ginny."

Hermione gave her friend a wide warning smile.

"I am not letting you set me up with someone. I can handle this all on my own."

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The Yule ball was coming up and Hermione had lots of work to do, organizing banquets and snacks. She had already ordered her dress. They were putting a box out as well for everyone attending to put their names in, to get sorted with a partner. The ball was only a few weeks away now and everyone was really excited. It was a bit awkward to be working with Luna. Hermione wasn't angry with her, she just felt a bit disappointed. On the bright side, Harry was speaking to her again and she was sure Ginny had something to do with that. Harry had decided to let his girlfriend be friends with Blaise, no doubt affected by what had happened between Ron and Hermione. She was also looking forward to the Quidditch match the next day. She had no idea which team to cheer for but decided it didn't really matter. She would win in any case.

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A/N: Really short chapter, I know. I just wanted the game to have it's own time in the spotlight :P I really love that game :P

Please review just so I know there's still someone reading this… I'll try to update again this weekend. Now I really should go to sleep. I managed to survive on 4 hours of sleep today, which is something of an achievement. I think the science test went well too

Love you guys!


	8. Chapter 8

Give me a shot

It was the day of the Quidditch game and the anticipation was thick in the air. What kind of a team had Draco Malfoy managed to throw together? Would they have a shot against the Gryffindor team? Hermione obediently wore the Dumbledore colours and stood next to her house friends and for once she actually felt really excited about a Quidditch game.

The teams walked out to the cheers of the entire school and faced each other. The captains shook hands, surprisingly without the slightest inclination of fighting, and the game started. Ron was the Gryffindor goalie and Hermione found herself secretly wishing someone would aim a Bludger at him. Of course Ron had to pick this game to play wonderfully well. Malfoy called a time out when Gryffindor was in the lead with a score of 100-10. Dumbledore emerged after the pep talk, looking refreshed and excited. A few minutes after this Dumbledore exploded with energy and even Ron couldn't keep up with them. The score was now 100-50. Justin Finch-Fletchley was commentating.

"It seems like Malfoy has seen the Snitch. He's diving toward it but where is Potter? Oh now Potter's seen it too and they're both speeding toward it. Malfoy is much closer though. I don't see how Potter will pull this off."

The audience held their breaths as Malfoy's hand closed around the Snitch. The game was over and Dumbledore had won, 200-100. Hermione cheered along with the rest of her house. She felt bad for Harry and Ginny but couldn't help feeling even happier that Ron had lost. She went back to the common room to celebrate with the others. She spotted Malfoy coming in a few minutes later. They all cheered for him and he was smiling. He seemed chocked that he'd actually beaten Harry for once. Hermione excused herself and went to bed. She was tired and still sad. She hoped that this didn't mean that Malfoy was now popular. She had got used to having him around.

0-0

The next day was a Sunday and Hermione spent most of it studying for her NEWTs. She had made a schedule, which would ensure that she had revised everything by the time the exams came. She had done a lot of revision over the summer to catch up and she was currently revising 4th year. Malfoy joined her in the library and studied with her. It was always slightly awkward when they studied together. She knew he'd been very nice to her when she and Ron had broken up but didn't think he liked her very much.

Oh, crap! She had just remembered that there was a Slug Club party that evening. They had to bring dates, something she'd conveniently forgotten. Normally she would have brought Ron but that was obviously impossible. She groaned when she came to the conclusion that there was only one person she could ask…

"Malfoy?"

"Huh?"

"Look, would you do me a favour?"

He looked at her apprehensively.

"Depends on what it is."

Okay, how was she going to phrase this?

"Look, I need someont to go with to the Slug Club party. And normally I would have asked Ron but well… Anyway, just as friends, nothing else, just friends, or even acquaintances if you prefer."

He seemed to give it some thought. She supposed that he still resented Slughorn for not singling him out for his stupid club.

"Okay, Granger, I'll do it. You do realize this is a pretty big favour though… there will be lots of Gryffindors there."

He made a disgusted face.

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They met up in the common room that evening. She was wearing a black strapless dress, very basic, but elegant. She had tamed her hair and put it up in a bun. She wore only a touch of make up and looked very pretty. He was wearing black dress robes, not too fancy, but well made and looked like his old aristocratic self. They walked down to the dungeons together.

The party was just as boring as usual. The same boring, influential people to meet. This year Slughorn was trying to get them to talk to possible future employers. Hermione had no idea how many ministry officals she had been obliged to speak to. Draco was snubbed by Slughorn as usual and stood in a corner talking to some old friend. Suddenly Harry pulled her away from some Daily Prophet reporter.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Talking to some reporter."

He ran his hand through his hair.

"No, I meant bringing Malfoy, of all people! Please tell me you're not together?"

Hermione burst out laughing.

"No, of course not, Harry. I just needed to go with someone. Anyway, why are you so worried?"

She studied his face and saw that he actually looked worried and even a bit reserved. Suddenly she understood.

"Harry, I've already told you this. Ron and I are over forever and there's nothing you can do about it. Doesn't he have a girlfriend anyway?"

Harry tried to hold back an involuntary smile.

"Turns out Luna isn't much into commitment. But are you sure about this?"

"Look, if you tell him this I'll kill you but two days after we broke up I was going to take him back, I really was, but then he snogged Luna and there's no way I can forgive that."

"Actually that makes a bit of sense but still…"

"Look, I feel better now and I know I don't love Ron in that way. We're over, Harry, but I hope you and I can still be friends."

She smiled at him.

"Of course, Hermione."

He smiled back and left her. She stayed behind. It was nice not to have to talk all the time and she enjoyed the solitude. However solitude usually leads to contemplation and this was something she had desperately tried to avoid. She wasn't fine and she wasn't over Ron. She fought against an overwhelming urge to start crying. She looked up to see if anyone was watching her and noticed Draco Malfoy staring. When he saw her expression he crossed the room in a few quick strides and took her arm. He pulled her out of the room and they walked until they found an empty classroom. He turned to face her.

"Look, I'm not very good with the whole crying female stuff. Will you be all right?"

He handed her a handkerchief. She nodded at him and he made to leave. His hand was on the handle when she sopke.

"Draco?"

"Yes?"

"Could you just give me a hug, please?"

He put his arms around her and gave her a quick squeeze. She gave him a sad smile.

"Thanks, you can go now."

He left her and she sat down on the floor. She cast a quick Muffliato and then allowed herself to cry. She had no idea how long she sat there but she felt much better when she was done. She left and went back to her dormitory to sleep. Crying made you really tired.

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A/N: You may have noticed that I sort of hate Ron. I actually don't know why… I like Snape though :P


	9. Chapter 9

Don't bring around a cloud

The Yule ball partner lottery was coming up and tension was high in the school. The 7th year Gryffindors, where most of the students were in steady relationships, weren't looking forward to it at all. Meanwhile the more romantically inclined Hufflepuffs couldn't wait. The Ravenclaws were split into the optimists ("I'm going to find my soulmate") and the pessimists ("I'm going to be forced to go with the person I hate the most"). The Dumbledores weren't allowed to criticize their own ideas, so as to present a united front, and were therefore very positively inclined.

Hermione thought it was the worst idea she had ever heard and was terrified of ending up with Ron. It would be just her luck. She decided that if this happened she would claim an illness. The ball was exclusively for 6th and 7th years and was to become a Hogwarts tradition. There was a Hogsmeade weekend coming up. Hermione needed to get makeup and hair conditioning. She also needed to try on her dress, to see if any changes needed to be made. The lottery was to be held the day before so that any couples that wished to colour coordinate could have the chance to do so. The night before the raffle Hermione lay awake for hours, thinking of worst case scenarios. She couldn't decide if Goyle or Ron would be deemed the worst possible partner.

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The next afternoon all the 6th and 7th years filed into the Great Hall. You could practically feel the anticipation in the air. Hermione saw couples clutching one anothers hands. She snorted loudly. As if that would help! She sat down calmly at her table. Well she looked calm to everyone else. Inside she was frantically thinking "not Ron" over and over again. Malfoy sat down beside her and sort of smiled.

"I took care of it for you."

She swerved toward him.

"What?"

"I got Snape to charm it so you and Ron can't possibly be paired together."

"What? How did you convince him to do that?"

"I told him about what had happened."

At her shocked glance he quickly went on. "Look he already knew most of it, Granger. No need to be worried."

She looked suspiciously at him.

"What's in this for you?"

He smirked at her.

"Maybe Snape assured me I wouldn't be paired off with certain people."

She rolled her eyes at him but on the inside she was incredibly relieved.

"Thanks, Malfoy."

"Anytime, Granger."

McGonagall cleared her throat and the pairings began. It took quite a while until anyone of interest got paired off.

"Blaise Zabini and Ginevra Weasley."

Hermione groaned. This was not good! She could see Harry's livid expression from across the hall.

"What's wrong, Granger? Don't tell me you fancy him?"

She swatted his arm. "Yes, Malfoy. Of course that's it. I'm madly in love with him." Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

The lottery continued.

"Ron Weasley and" _Hermione held her breath. _"Millicent Bulstrode."

Hermione nearly laughed out loud and saw Malfoy smirking. She suspected he'd had something to do with that too.

"Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood."

Hermione tried to keep a smile off her face. This was pretty funny.

"Draco Malfoy and Lavender Brown."

Draco muttered something under his breath, which sounded suspiciously like "forgot about that one" but didn't show any other emotion.

"Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger."

Hermione let out a sigh of relief. Neville was a great friend and an amazing dancer. They'd have a lot of fun together. A few minutes later the sorting was over and Neville hurried over to her.

"Hey, Hermione."

"Hey, Neville." She smiled encouragingly at him.

"I just want to know what colour your dress is so we don't accidentally clash. Well I'm wearing a black tuxedo and black goes with nearly anything... Better safe than sorry though, right?"

Poor Neville was terribly red in the face now.

"Okay. My dress is emerald green so it shouldn't be a problem."

"Oh great. Wonderful. Anyway, bye!"

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She was sitting in her common room later that evening when Malfoy joined her.

"Did you hear about Weasley and Longbottom?"

She was instantly worried. What had Ron done now?

"No. What's happened?"

"Weasley threatened to tear Longbottom apart if he made a move on you. Well actually I'm pretty sure he also called you his girlfriend. Anyway Longbottom is terrified of you now."

She groaned.

"What's wrong with Ron?"

"Are you seriously asking me?"

She smiled at that. "No, I'm not. Anyway, good night, Malfoy! And thanks."

She left him there and went up to get a long night's sleep. She was supposed to go shopping the next day with Ginny and a group of other Gryffindors. She really hoped Ron wasn't going to come anywhere near her.

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A/N: My throat is killing me. I'm really sick at the moment and can't do very much. I'm glad I can still write though I need to get my mum to let me stay at home one more day so I'll get well… Anyway, hope you liked this chapter. Coming up: Hogsmeade and a confrontation with Ron.


	10. Chapter 10

Maybe this time

Hermione was showered, dressed and perfectly ready for Hogsmeade at exactly 10 am. Of course Ginny had to be fashionably late. The redhead came tearing down the stairs quite a few minutes after Hermione, towing Luna along. Hermione smiled at them both and they set off together.

They tried on their dresses. The Weasleys had received quite a bit of money for their help during the war so Ginny didn't have to wear hand-me-downs anymore. She had picked a stunning black halterneck dress that made her look absolutely gorgeous. Luna had decided on a pale blue spaghetti strap dress. She looked quite mysterious in it, very Luna-ish. Hermione's dress was pre-ordered, a strapless emerald green silk dress that made her look very sophisticated and beautiful. Ginny was over the moon about it so Hermione supposed it would do. They went to get make-up and hair creams and accessories. Hermione let Ginny call the shots, as this was definitely her area of expertise. They left the store, an hour or so later, feeling completely prepared. They went for a butterbeer at the Leaky Cauldron and were joined by Harry and Neville. Hermione immediately tried to notice any difference in Neville's behaviour. Poor Neville! Ron must have been really mean to him. He hardly dared to speak to her at all. She decided that she needed to talk to Ron about this.

She spotted him coming out of Honeydukes and walked toward him.

"Hey, Ron!"

When he saw her he had the audacity to smile! At the moment she really wanted to strangle him but she needed to be calm about this.

"Ron, I need to talk to you. Alone."

His eyes showed that he clearly thought she had quite a different intention in mind. She supposed that was why he went with her quite willingly. At this point she didn't care. She needed to make him understand. When they were some distance from Hogsmeade she swerved around.

"Now listen here, Ron! I don't know how many times you want me to say this before you get it through your thick head. We. Are. Over. So, I'm not your girlfriend! You do not have the right to threaten Neville like that. I'm a big girl now and I can look after myself.

He muttered something. She was getting more and more frustrated by the minute.

"What did you say, Ron?"

"I just said that if you can't look after yourself Malfoy does it for you."

She nearly started laughing.

"What? What does Malfoy have to do with this?"

"Well it's obvious the way the two of you are acting…"

"First-of-all: that is none of your business, but if it will ease your mind Malfoy and I are barely friends, let alone in a relationship. Second-of-all: that does not in any way excuse your behaviour!"

"Look, 'Mione, I love you. I just want you back."

This was going to be harder than she thought. She really didn't want to hurt him.

"I love you too, Ron, but we are over. I'm not PMS-ing or lying or anything. I promise I'm being perfectly serious. We're over but I want us to be friends like we used to be."

The look on Ron's face was awful for her to watch. He looked broken.

"I always thought we'd end up together, 'Mione. I never thought it would end like this," he said, sadly.

She hugged him.

"I didn't think so either, Ron. I'm really sorry."

"S'not your fault," he whispered into her hair.

They walked back to Hogwarts together, trying to make conversation.

0-0

Two days later Lavender Brown came up to Hermione after class and asked to talk to her privately. Hermione readily agreed and they walked together to find an empty classroom. They found one and entered. Hermione waited eagerly for Lavender to start talking.

She cleared her throat and looked at Hermione, "Okay, this is gonna be a bit awkward… Look Neville and I are together."

Hermione's jaw dropped.

"Does anyone else know this, Lavender?"

"Not yet, no. We were planning on going public after this week though. Anyway I wanted to ask if you were fine with me dancing quite a lot with him at the Yule ball. I know you have some mandatory couple dances with him but the rest of the evening…"

Hermione smiled happily at her.

"Of course you can dance with Neville. Oh, I'm so happy for you guys!"

Lavender blushed.

"Thanks, Hermione. I really like him."

Hermione suddenly realized something.

"Hey, have you talked about this with Draco?"

The other girl looked a bit uncomfortable.

"Yeah, I mentioned it the other day. He was absolutely fine with it."

Hermione smiled at her again. Lavender flushed again.

"I've just got to say, Hermione, that normally I would have been over the moon to be going with Draco Malfoy to the ball, but now that I've got Neville looks just don't seem that important."

Hermione stared at her. "Wow, you really really like him don't you?"

Lavender blushed furiously and nodded.

"I haven't even given him a stupid nickname."

They both burst out laughing.

"Hey, Hermione?"

"Yeah, Lavender?"

"What's going on between you and Malfoy anyway?"

Hermione stared at her.

"Why does everyone keep on asking me that?"

"Well you went with him to Slughorn's party and you hang out together and do homework together…"

"But still! We've just become sort of friends and everyone thinks were together! It's pretty awkward."

"So there's nothing going on?"

Hermione laughed.

"No, nothing. I promise!"

"Fine, I believe you."

"Good. Now I think it's time to eat something."

"I think so too."

They walked together to the Great Hall and went to sit at their respective tables. Hermione felt really happy. Everything was going to work out. She was sure of it.

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Draco and Hermione did homework together a lot that week. Their teachers were giving them an insane amount. Hermione sometimes felt that she lived in her books. She hardly got the chance to see any of her friends. She was really looking forward to the Yule ball though. She was sitting at one of their study sessions thinking about the ball. That stupid ex-Ravenclaw, a.k.a. stupid, bossy leader had told the Dumbledores to call the Yule ball by its proper name, the Annual Christmas Memorial of the Second Wizarding War And Its Victims Ball. She snorted at the idea. Then she remembered her Charms essay and plunged back into her homework. Draco just gave her a weird look and continued.

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Exams were done and it was now the 18th of December. The Yule Ball was soon coming up and Hermione was really excited. Both Harry and Ron had promised to dance with her so she wouldn't be a total loser. She liked parties, especially with good friends. Ginny was going to help her get ready. She was really looking forward to it.

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A/N: Okay, I totally added the last part because I wanted it to lead up to the ball, which is coming up in the next chapter. I'm looking forward to it! And Neville and Lavender are so cute! Haha I just couldn't resist adding another couple into this :P


	11. Chapter 11

I should be so lucky

Ginny came and collected Hermione hours before the ball, muttering to herself. They were getting ready in Ginny's dormitory. Ginny had heaped piles of beauty products on her bed. Well Hermione supposed that there must be a bed underneath the massive pile. She was glad that she'd remembered to bring a book. Ginny started working on Hermione's hair.

An hour later her frizzy thick hair had turned into sleek soft curls. Ginny really was a genius. Hermione helped the other girl with her hair. Ginny didn't really trust Hermione and ended up doing most of the work herself, which was completely fine by Hermione. Her book was really interesting anyway.

An hour before the ball started they put their dresses on and practised walking in their high heels. Not wanting to be too early they sat down, careful that their dresses didn't crease, and talked. Inevitably the subject turned to Blaise.

"So, Ginny. What's really going on between the two of you?"

The redhead blushed. "I've already told Harry like a million times that we're just friends."

"Yeah, he doesn't seem to believe you."

"He's being so stupid. Blaise is more like… a brother or something. Anyway I know for a fact that he's not interested in me in that way."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because I know who he's interested in," she mumbled.

"Anything you're allowed to tell me?"

Ginny blushed again and then said, "Luna."

Hermione gaped in astonishment. Ginny laughed softly.

"Yeah, that was my reaction too. We'd better get going now."

They walked together to the entrance hall where they met up with their partners. At exactly 8 p.m. the doors to the Great Hall swung open and they entered, marvelling at the decorations. Hermione, Draco and Luna hadn't been on any of the decorating committees. Their job had consisted of telling the House Elves the menu. But all the other Dumbledores seemed to have done a great job.

They started off having dinner. A few teachers and other guests held speeches. Hermione listened diligently, trying to see if she'd hear anything interesting. She noticed that Snape didn't hold a speech. His attention was dedicated to Florgle sitting beside him. She wondered what was going on between them. It was sort of gross to think of the two of them getting together. Well, she supposed they weren't technically together yet, but from the looks on their faces it wouldn't be long. Eugh.

0-0

Neville wasn't being a very good "date". He kept on staring at Lavender when he was supposed to be dancing with Hermione. It annoyed her. Mercifully, this was the last mandatory couples dance. The last chords of the song ebbed out and Neville bowed while she curtsied. He was off toward Lavender like a shot. She managed to catch Malfoy's eye and they rolled their eyes in unison. Ron asked her to dance and she agreed. They were working on the whole friendship thing but it was still very awkward between them. She noticed that Harry and Ginny were dancing together as well.

The song was over and Ron let go of her. They smiled at each other and he went off to ask Luna to dance. Draco joined her.

"Dance, Granger?" He drawled, holding out his hand.

She smiled and readily accepted it.

He was a wonderful dancer, she supposed he'd been taught as a child. They talked a bit about school. Suddenly he smirked. She gave him an enquiring glance and he jerked his head in the direction of a couple. She groaned. It was Snape and Florgle.

"Thanks, Malfoy. I could have lived without that image."

He smirked. "You're welcome, Granger."

She slapped his arm playfully and asked him something she'd been dying to know.

"Seriously though, Malfoy. You always brag about your connections so what can you tell me about those two?"

"Well obviously I don't have very many of those connections left. She's a bit of a dark horse though, French Death Eater squad. She was a double agent but no one really knows who her loyalties lay with. Fed information to both sides."

He twirled her in a large circle effectively ending the conversation.

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The rest of the evening went well. Harry danced once with her and Ron even asked her again. Blaise even asked her, which was sort of weird because she'd never spoken to him before. However she groaned when he started talking.

"I hope you're not going to tell anyone my secret, Granger."

"So Ginny told you she told me?"

"It would seem so."

"Don't worry. I won't tell."

"I hope you won't. I'd get my revenge."

She rolled her eyes. What could Ginny possibly see in him?

0-0

Her evening wasn't completely perfect. One of the Ravenclaws that she danced with, called Herman Norling or something equally stupid, tried to grope her as they were dancing. She almost hit him in the face but settled for kneeing him in the groin. She smirked when he fell down, howling. She left him there with a happy smile on her face. Draco gave her a thumbs-up. She had some punch and waited for the next dance to begin.

0-0

The evening ended with everyone singing the school song and then the ball was over. She left with Luna and Draco, completely exhausted. The Hogwarts Express was leaving for home the next afternoon and she was nearly packed. She was going to her parents for Christmas and then going to The Burrow for New Year. She had made a revision schedule so that she would be ready for her NEWTS. Florgle had told them that there'd be more Dumbledore stuff after the holidays so she needed to get as much revision as possible done. She needed to work especially hard at Defence against Dark Arts. She didn't really know why she didn't get good grades in this subject. She was really good at the spells and she knew the theory behind it. She wanted straight Os this year and she was working hard for them.

0-0

A/N: In the next chapter they come back to Hogwarts and Hermione gets lots of Dumbledore responsibilities. I won't be able to update for about 2 weeks just so you know.


	12. Chapter 12

**You know my weakness**

Hermione, Ron and Harry walked, arms linked, toward the carriages. They were all howling with laughter after seeing some pompous Ravenclaw get pranked. Things weren't soawkward between Ron and Hermione anymore and she was glad. She liked feeling tolerably happy. She had gotten most of her revision done during the holidays, much to the disgust of her friends. Now they were back for their last spring term ever at Hogwarts. They found a carriage and set off toward the school.

0-0

There was a Dumbledore meeting in the common room after dinner. Hermione sat down with Draco and Luna in one of the sofas and chatted casually until Professor Florgle entered carrying a lot of papers.

"Attention, all Dumbledore students! Listen up now!"

The students ceased talking and started listening attentively. At least it must have seemed so to Florgle who resumed her speech.

"As you've been told you will have an increased amount of extra-curricular activities this term. We, that is to say the teaching staff here at Hogwarts, have decided which tasks are most suitable for each and every one of you. I will now,"she flicked her wand, "proceed to distribute your assignments and I hope they will prove satisfactory. If you have any complaints, please don't hesitate to contact me."

She turned and left them, her cloak billowing behind her. She was becoming more and more similar to Snape for every passing day. Hermione received her note and opened it. It read:

_Ms. Hermione Jean Granger,_

_House of Dumbledore_

Tasks, assignments and extra-curricular activities for the spring term:

**Tuition in the library:** Tuesdays, 7.00-8.30 p.m.

**Extra tuition in the great Hall:** Last Saturday of every month, 10-12 a.m., 13-15 p.m.

**Leader of excursion into the Forbidden Forest:** 20 January, 16 February, 12 May

**Quidditch commentating:** Gryffindor v. Hufflepuff, 16 February

**Patrolling of corridors:** Mondays 8-10 p.m. with Draco Malfoy

**What is a leader?:** Essay to be handed in 21 February

**What we can learn from Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini:** Guest speaker in Muggle Studies on 30 March, presentation to last one hour.

**Ethics and Leadership:** Essay to be handed in 15 May

Hermione stared at her note. They couldn't be serious! First-of-all they were letting her, of all people, comment Quidditch and second-of-all this was way too much! She was very glad that she'd studied so much during the holidays. She wasn't going to be able to spend any time with her friends until the summer holidays. She groaned and looked over at Draco's note. He had patrolling with her and the two essays she had. She also saw that he was holding two Potions lessons and doing tuition on Wednesdays. He looked at her paper and started laughing. She frowned at him.

"I'm sorry, Granger! It's just that I wonder what the teachers were on when they decided to let you commentate."

She grinned at him. "Hey! How do you know I'm not super-mega-foxy-awesome-hot at it?"

He smirked. "Because I distinctly remember you asking Potter why he didn't catch the Quaffle last year."

She burst out laughing.

"Sorry to disappoint, Malfoy, but that never happened."

"Maybe it was Lovegood then. You two look quite similar you know."

Hermione gave him an outraged expression and then quickly glanced at Luna who seemed totally absorbed in the latest _Quibbler_.

"Take that back, Malfoy."

"Never"

She glared at him and looked down at her paper. Suddenly she realized something.

"Crap! I think we have rounds today!"

Draco groaned.

"They have GOT to be kidding!"

"Well we'd better get ready, Draco. We need to find Florgle as well and find out where we're supposed to go."

Twenty minutes later they were knocking on Professor Florgle's office door. She opened the door and smiled at both of them.

"I suppose you're here about your rounds. I'll just go and get the maps, shall I? Please come in and have a cup of tea."

They entered. It was always strange to see how the new DADA teacher had decorated the room. Florgle seemed to be a Quidditch fan since there were Holyhead Harpies posters plastered all over an entire wall. Actually the room was quite cosy, if a little fan-girly. They sat down in the comfortable dark purple armchairs and she poured them tea before allowing herself to scrutinize their faces.

"So, Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy, what's going on with you two?"

"What do you mean, Professor?" Draco asked.

Florgle gave them a huge smile.

"Well, are you a couple or not?"

Hermione had to admit that the look of astonishment and chock on Draco's face as he choked on his tea was pretty hilarious. She realized that he must have been able to avoid the rumours. She grinned at her teacher before answering.

"No, Professor, we're not. Never have been either."

She looked crest-fallen.

"But Severus said it was all over school."

Now it was Hermione's turn to look chocked. Draco was sufficiently recovered to answer.

"Well it isn't true and I don't have any idea how this rumour started. It's completely unfounded, Professor."

"Professor is it really ethical for you to discuss student relationships within the staff?"

Florgle gave Hermione an amused look.

"Well what do you expect us to talk about, Ms. Granger? The weather?"

"Granger is just having a hard time thinking of her teachers as social beings, Professor. She is under the impression that all the teachers positively _live _for their subjects just as she lives for school."

Hermione blushed and hit Malfoy's arm.

"Hey! That was just mean, Malfoy!"

Malfoy and Florgle were laughing at her mortified expression.

"It's all right, Ms. Granger. I'm not upset with you. I probably would have reacted similarly in your situation."

Professor Florgle checked her watch.

"You'd better get going. Here's your map. I'd be glad if you returned it here directly after your patrol. As you know we're not supposed to make maps of the school and we only have one surviving copy. I'm sure you're both good students but be warned: it's impossible to copy or attempt to destroy this map and I wouldn't recommend trying."

0-0

A/N: So now the rumour about Draco and Hermione really is all over the school. I think I really like Florgle and it's nice for Sev to have a girlfriend, even if she is a tiny bit weird. Next chapter: Patrol and anything else I can think of… 


	13. Chapter 13

**He came round**

"Merlin, you're annoying!"

"I was just trying to talk about…"

"Granger, I think you mean lecture. You tried to lecture me."

She frowned at him.

"I do not lecture, Malfoy. I was simply trying to have an ordinary conversation."

"A very one-sided conversation," he muttered.

"And I don't understand why you can't accept the fact that House Elves have feelings too. Recent studies show that…"

He threw his hands up in air.

"There you go again. What is it about you and lecturing? Maybe you should be a teacher. You and Binns would get on splendidly together."

She glared at him.

"For your information, Malfoy, I am _not_ going to be a teacher."

"I know I'm going to regret asking this, Granger, but what are you going to be?"

She glared at him.

"I won't tell you, Malfoy. It's absolutely none of your business."

He smirked.

"I thought girlfriends told ther _boyfriends_ absolutely _everything_."

She gave him an icy glare.

"What exactly are you implying, Malfoy?"

"Well I know I didn't start the rumour, Granger, and that only leaves one possible culprit."

She stopped walking and stared at him.

"You think that _I _started a rumour about you and me?"

"As a matter of fact I do."

She smiled at him before starting to laugh, softly at first but then louder and louder. He cast a quick Muffliato over them.

"What's so funny, Granger?"

"You think I would start a rumour about you and me?" She asked, convulsing in laughter.

"Granger? Are you hysteric or something? Do you want me to slap you?"

She just kept on laughing as they continued their patrol.

0-0

Malfoy was furious. She had laughed for another twenty minutes or so before starting to make fun of him. And she didn't even do it in a mean way. The problem was that she was so damn funny! He just couldn't stay mad at her. He had always that she must be an extremely boring person, an uptight prude with no friends except for those Gryffindor misfits, but she wasn't! She was nice and smart and really really funny, except for when she tried to lecture him. He hated that he liked her, that he _needed_ her to keep any sort of social status. She was the only thing keeping the rest of the school from making his life hell. He didn't like needing people, it made him feel dependent. His father had always told him that the only person you could truly trust was yourself. But he sort of trusted her. He sort of wanted her to be his friend, his first real friend.

0-0

The next day they had breakfast together. He noticed that she looked completely exhausted.

"What's wrong, Granger?"

"Nothing, Malfoy."

He stared at her incredulously.

"Are you upset about something, Granger?"

"Why would I be upset?"

"So you are upset about something?"

"It's none of your business."

"Actually, it sort of is because if you're going to act like this all day I think I deserve a little warning."

"Just shut up, Malfoy."

He glared at her.

"Tell me what's happened."

She sighed.

"Only if you promise not to tell anyone."

"Who would I tell? I promise, Granger."

She sighed again.

"One of the girls in my dorm is just having a hard time at the moment and I'm the only one that cares enough to listen to her. She was really upset last night and I didn't get much sleep."

"Oh"

They continued to eat breakfast in silence.

"Granger? You have Potions next with me, right?"

"Yeah."

"And then a free period?"

"Yep."

"Look, I'll cover for you in Potions if you want to catch some sleep."

"But I can't miss…"

"I'll let you borrow my notes, I promise. It's just theory today anyway."

She smiled weakly at her.

"Thanks, Malfoy, I really appreciate it."

"No problem, Granger."

He finished his breakfast and went to Potions class. He told Slughorn that Hermione felt a little ill and couldn't come to class. The teacher was surprised but not at all angry. Draco knew that Slughorn absolutley _adored_ Hermione. In fact he kept on comparing her to Potter's mother, which was, supposedly, in some strange way, a compliment.

0-0

Draco groaned when he realized that there were only two free seats left in the classroom and they were both way too close to Potter and Weasley. He had no choice and sat down behind them. They both glared at him and he glared right back. He simply couldn't stand those morons. High-and-mighty perfect Potter and his idiot ginger boyfriend snickered at some joke. Hermione might normally be a very sane person but he wondered what had possessed her to choose such stupid friends.

0-0

Draco took wonderful notes. Actually they were the best Potion notes he had ever taken. He had never bothered before, he didn't need to. What most people didn't know was that he was actually really good at Potions. It wasn't just Snape that made him seem good. He didn't always stick to the book while making his potions and sometimes they turned out catastrophic but most of the time they didn't. He had real talent. Snape had grudgingly admitted it to him once. And when Snape complimented you it wasn't just a bunch of empty words.

Slughorn left the room for a few minutes for some strange reason. As soon as the door shut Potter and Weasley turned around.

"Where's Hermione. Malfoy?"

Malfoy heard the bitterness in Weasley's voice. He must really hate the fact that he had to ask Malfoy, of all people, what had happened to his best friend.

"She didn't feel well."

"Bullshit. Hermione wouldn't miss class for anything."

Draco smirked.

"I think you might be mistaken there, Weasley, since she's obviously not here."

"What have you done to her, jerk?"

Draco smiled angelically at Weasley. Honestly, this was way too easy.

"I told you she's not feeling very well."

"Well, I know you're lying, you little…"

Potter put his hand on Weasley's arm.

"Lay off him, Ron. Maybe he's telling the truth."

"Listen to your boyfriend, Weasley."

Weasley glared at him.

"Is that the worst you can do, Ginger?"

"What did you do to her?"

"I told you she's not feeling well twice already. Oh, I must have forgotten how slow you are on the uptake sometimes. How many times was it that Hermione had to tell you that she had broken up with you?"

Weasley lunged at him, knocking him clean off his chair and punched him in the stomach. Draco doubled over.

"That'll teach you, you lying little ferret!"

"What are you doing, Weasley?"

Slughorn was standing in the doorway. Ron went white and started stuttering.

"20 points from Gryffindor, Weasley, and detention for two weeks for attacking a fellow student. You should be glad I'm not reporting this."

Weasley had enough sense not to argue with Slughorn and sat down, fuming.

0-0

Hermione was back for lunch. She was nearly at the Dumbledore table when Ron ran up to her.

"Hey, Hermione! What happened this morning?"

"What do you mean, Ron?"

"Where were you?"

She gave him an easy smile.

"I just didn't feel very well, Ron."

His face darkened and he stalked off. She sat down next to Malfoy and noticed that he was smirking.

"Okay, what did you do, Malfoy?"

"I just couldn't resist, Granger. He's so easy to manipulate."

She sighed but couldn't really fight the urge to smile as Malfoy told her about the Potions lesson.

0-0

**A/N: Hope you liked that. There was a lot of Malfoy in this chapter at least. I should probably mention that something really exciting is going to happen in the next chapter **


	14. Chapter 14

**Boy, she looks a lot like you**

The whole school was filled with students babbling nervously. No one could really understand that the day was finally here, the day they had longed for since Christmas. The girls put on more make up than usual and the boys brought pictures around everywhere in the hope of getting them signed. It was a Saturday so there were no classes. All the students walked about the grounds, trying to catch the first glimpse of _him_. They knew that he liked to make spectacular entrances, no Floo powder for him.

Surely enough they were not disappointed. He was preceeded by about ten Veelas on winged horses. Then the fireworks began and anticipation hung in the air. Finally there was a huge explosion and he flew out of the smoke on his very own handmade broomstick, wearing the most exquisite robes the school had ever seen. He was followed by the rest of his band, who were content to be in his shadow, like always.

Hermione hurried over to his landingplace. She had been given the great honour of escorting him to the Great Hall. As she arrived she saw the fangirls making their way toward him. Luckily the spells kept them away.

"Mr. Spellright, my name is Hermione Granger. I am here to…"

He took her hand and kissed it.

"I didn't know Hogwarts had such pretty girls, Her-mion-eeeee. I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

Hermione was amused but didn't neglect her duty.

"Now if you'll just come along here, sir, we'll get you settled in."

"Now, love, you can call me Maverick. I think I shall call you Minny. Your name is so looong and foreignsounding. It's like your parents knew that you were going to be special when you were born."

"Yes, just move along here."

She finally managed to get him to the Great Hall, after millions of unflattering comments. She really didn't understand the fascination with this man. He was just another one of those things that Muggleborns would never really understand. Not that she really cared. She got him and his crew to the Great Hall and managed to get the doors locked. What was with everyone? It wasn't that big a deal? Maverick hadn't even really accomplished anything! She could empathize with people's fascination with Dumbledore and Flamell but celebrities like Maverick were only famous because of something extremely stupid…

"Minny! Come over here, babe!"

She groaned and rolled her eyes. She should never have allowed Ginny to bully her into bying hair potions. If she had just been her normal frizzy self he would have left her alone.

0-0

An hour later everything was ready and the students were let into the Great Hall. The tables were completely gone and there was now a huge stage at the front. The students started singing his name and clapping. Anticipation was high in the air. She went to find Harry and Ron. Harry, at least, should be able to understand how she felt. She supposed Ron was over the moon though. He was such a wizard sometimes!

0-0

It was impossible to get through the masses. She was stuck right at the back. She seriously considered going back to her dormitory. She was tired and frustrated. She decided to listen for a while at least. It wasn't every day a celebrity visited them. The band came out on stage and the whole crowd erupted in cheers. They started up their first song and the crowd sang along. Hermione wanted to throw up. Had the whole world gone crazy? She opened the doors and quickly exited.

0-0

Outside the doors, Draco was sitting and eating cookies his great-aunt had sent him. Suddenly, Hermione came stumbling out. He was surprised to see her but offered her a cookie as soon as she noticed him.

"What are you doing here, Draco?"

He noticed that she was looking strangely at him.

"I've already seen him perform once. Not something I want to be reminded of…"

She sat down after casting a quick heating charm.

"What happened?"

She looked really interested.

"When I was ten, my father booked him for my birthday party." She gave him a knowing look. "Yes, Granger, I know I'm a spoiled little brat. Anyway, he came and sang a few songs but he didn't really have an interest in talking to me. I was heartbroken because I was used to being the joy of everyones existence."

Hermione snorted.

"Do you want to hear the story or not, Granger?"

"Sorry, Malfoy. Go on."

"Then my mum came to check up on us and he started flirting with her. She really wasn't interested but he kept on coming onto her. And then my father came as well…"

A smirk lit up his handsome face.

"And my father punched him. My father is quite protective when it comes to my mother… So then Mav attacked my father who aimed a few curses back at him."

He was nearly laughing now.

"And you can't really take a guy seriously after watching him crawl around on the floor looking for "his precious" and talking in baby language. It took his management team a month to get him back to "normal"."

"And to make a long story short, my father made sure that whenever I hear his music I only feel uncomfortable. I've never listened to him after that."

She looked pitying now. He groaned. He desperately hoped she wasn't going to have another one of those "traumatic childhood" talks with him again. Something in his face must have alerted her to his feelings as her face immediately slid back into its normal mask.

"So, Malfoy, are you just going to sit here and eat cookies for the next couple of hours?"

"Of course not, Granger. This is merely a precaution in case I get hungry later."

"What are you doing later?"

"I'm not telling you, Granger. You're such a prude you'd only report me."

She glared at him.

"I'll have you know that I'm not a prude. I was one of the founding members of Dumbledore's army in fifth year..."

"Yes, but that was _noble_."

"Will you tell me if I promise not to tell anyone else?"

He sighed, "All right, Granger."

She smiled at him and took another cookie.

"Okay. This is my plan…"

0-0

**A/N: Mohahahahahaha. ****So what do you think the plan is? I'll try to update every week from now on. I don't have much left to do in school now **


	15. Chapter 15

**If you're wrong in all the right ways**

"Actually, Granger, it's a good thing you came along… I have all the passwords except the Gryffindor ones."

She frowned at him.

"Do you seriously expect me to just hand over the Gryffindor passwords to you, Malfoy?"

He groaned.

"Fine, cast a Muffliato over yourself and the painting when you say it."

She nodded.

They walked quickly along the corridors. It was actually sort of thrilling to be breaking the rules for once!

0-0

They had both cast quite excellent disillusionment charms and were sneaking along the corridors. Two houses down, two to go. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had both been quite easy to prank. They had decided to do Dumbledore last. Malfoy was complaining and Hermione was pretty annoyed at the moment. This wasn't as fun as she'd thought. They reached the Fat Lady and Hermione said the password, making sure Malfoy didn't overhear.

"Remember what I said, Malfoy. You are not to go near my friends' stuff! We do the same here as we did in the other houses."

"Yeah, yeah. Get a move on, Granger. My feet are killing me!"

They entered the common room. Malfoy scoffed at the furniture.

"Would you stop it, Malfoy!"

"Well, I'm sorry. I'm just being honest!"

"No, you're being annoying!"

They went toward the boys' dormitories since Malfoy couldn't get into the girls'. Quickly they went through the procedures. Hermione went to the girls' dormitories after being compeltely certain that she remembered everything correctly. She made Malfoy hide in a cupboard and put some very handy locking spells on it so that he wouldn't wreak havoc in the common room. When she let him out he glowered at her but let it pass. She guessed that her suspicions had been correct. They walked back toward the Dumbledore rooms. Well there, they split up and were finished within minutes. They met up again and made their way to the Great Hall so as to not appear suspicious. They were just in time to join with the general crowd. Hermione gave Malfoy an apologetic look as Ron latched onto her arm and dragged her away to hear exactly how his big hero had behaved toward her.

0-0

An hour later Malfoy saw her again in the common room. They were both exhausted but still wide-awake. She was sitting by the fire and he went to join her. He noticed that she seemed a bit upset.

"Are you okay, Granger?"

She gave him a small smile but he could see that her heart wasn't really in it.

"You don't have to tell me," he said quickly as he noticed traces of tears on her cheeks.

"Oh it's all right, Malfoy. I'm just a bit… upset. I mean this thing with Ron is still a bit hard to handle."

He gave her a slight smile and sat down beside her.

0-0

It was strange that their friendship had reached this stage, where he actually attempted to comfort her. Hermione quite liked it actually. Harry and Ron had never been good at understanding her feelings. They had never really understood her at all, especially Ron. This whole break up business had really messed her up. It felt like everyone turned against her. It made her understand just how powerless she was in herself. She hated that feeling. She wanted to feel strong, to know that she wasn't a person who could be persuaded to do the wrong thing. And she'd almost been persuaded! She had been weak. It was only Ron's own stupidity that had ruined them getting back together.

"Hey! Granger?"

She looked up and saw Malfoy's face staring anxiously at her.

"You just spaced out, Granger. Are you feeling all right?"

"Fine," she said, unconvincingly.

He gave her an evaluating glance.

"Look, if you ever need to talk to anyone I'm here for you, Granger. I know you may not trust me but I promise I won't tell anyone else about anything you tell me in confidence."

Her eyes softened.

"Thank you, Malfoy. That's very nice of you."

He looked hesitantly at her.

"You can call me Draco if you want."

She nearly lost her composure then. This was so unlike the Malfoy that she had known for the last 7 years. He was so kind and attentive and sympathetic.

"S-s-sure," she managed to stutter out, "y-y-you can call me Hermione, or 'Mione if you want."

He gave her a small smile before speaking again.

"Well I'm beat anyway. I'm going to bed. Tomorrow is going to be awesome!"

She grinned at him.

"It sure will be!"

0-0

Hermione lay awake that night for a long time. She didn't really know how this had happened. How the spoiled, little, racist Malfoy had grown up and become kind, sympathetic Draco. He was only nice to her though. He still joked constantly about Ron and Harry even if his jokes were a bit more tasteful now. She actually sort of liked him as a person and she definitely valued him as a… friend, if that was what he was. He was smart and funny and perceptive. She wondered if he'd always been like that or if he'd become a much better person after the war. He had always been popular and not just because of his good looks. Maybe this was just a side that she had never seen before.

0-0

Draco couldn't fall asleep. He twisted and turned and tried to relax. Okay, so he liked making her happy. He liked how her eyes had softened that evening when he'd told her to call him Draco. He liked _her_. He wanted them to be friends. She was smart and funny and nice. She wouldn't betray him, she was too _good_ for that. It was so easy to be nice to her. And it felt so _right_. What would his father say, though?

0-0

The next morning Draco and Hermione awoke to the screams of their fellow schoolmates. They smirked before getting up to survey the damage in their respective dormitories.

0-0

**A/N: I know I said that I'd try to update more frequently but I've just been so tired lately! It feels like I sleep all the time… Anyway this was sort of a filler. The next chapter will contain the super-maga-foxy-awesome prank **


	16. Chapter 16

**Don't ever look back**

Hermione let a very unladylike smirk grace her face for several moments before getting a hold of herself and remembering to act with the same chaos as her classmates. It was just too hilarious. They were all hanging from the roof wrapped tightly in their duvets. It looked like they were all stuck in cocoons. Hermione managed to glance at her watch and saw that they were about to be released in a minute or so. She was looking forward to the next part of the prank. It was pretty uncomfortable to be wrapped in a duvet like this though. She was glad it was only for another few moments.

The other girls screamed as they floated back onto their beds. Hermione thought they were being quite silly. Draco had wanted all of them to simply fall down and Hermione had been the one to persuade him to be a bit nicer. The girls threw off their duvets, still screaming, and stood up quickly. The girls took one look at each other and screamed again. Hermione rolled her eyes. Seriously, how melodramatic could they get? This wasn't a mean prank! She touched the wings on her back. Butterfly wings. Come on, it was sort of hilarious! And they magically attached themselves to the outside of your clothes so you couldn't cover them up. She liked the colours too. They matched your pyjamas so hers were navy blue with gold stripes. She noticed one girl wearing pink fuzzy wings and tried to stop herself from laughing.

The girls made their way to the common room together and were greeted by a disgusting sight. There was overripe fruit everywhere and the walls stank of sugar and nectar. Hermione thought it had been a nice touch to add butterfly food to the common room. Her wings were flapping in anticipation of eating it.

"Sorry wings. You're just going to have to live on human food today," she whispered.

Actually, she and Draco had performed some pretty amazing magic. A pity no one seemed to appreciate it. She felt she could live on this for a long time though. She caught Draco's eyes from across the common room. He had been looking at the food too. She made her way over towards him.

"A job well done, I think," she murmured.

"Definitely! We should do something like this again."

"I think so too. But maybe we should wait for a bit. Until we get another perfect opportunity, I mean," she said cautiously.

"I agree. We don't want anyone catching on that it was us."

Hermione's stomach growled and she stared at it, annoyed.

"Breakfast time, Hermione?"

"I suppose so. I can't wait to see what colour wings everyone has!"

He smiled at her. They left the common room and made their way to the Great Hall. When Hermione had eaten a bit and her stomach had been appeased she asked something she had wondered about for the last few hours.

"Draco? How did you think of the butterfly theme anyway?"

"Well… actually it was because of Care of Magical Creatures. I had to jump in and help out in a class, Dumbledore duties, you know, and they were studying these magical animals that reminded me of butterflies. I was really bored and pretty annoyed so I started making fun of everything that oaf of a teacher said." He ignored her scowl. "And then I just thought of the idea."

"Why do you have to be so mean to Hagrid," she hissed.

"Please tell me you don't actually think he's a good teacher, Hermione."

"Hagrid is just a bit special when it comes to teaching methods…"

"That's bullshit and you know it."

"Would you just drop it?"

He glowered at her. If they hadn't been friends he would have kept on going, but because they were he decided that it wasn't worth it. He dropped the issue. She'd better appreciate what he was doing for her. He looked around the Hall for something to distract her and spotted something almost at once.

"Hermione? Look over there," he said, pointing.

She turned and burst out laughing. There was a Ravenclaw girl wearing see-through wings and they both knew what that meant. She was latched on to her boyfriend who happened to be wearing pink hearts on a red background.

"Draco, we'd better send out the notes."

"Already done."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth the owls flew in. There were more than usual today and Hermione and Draco knew exactly why. This was the day when everyone would get a letter. Their owls swooped down and gave them their letters. They both opened them, though they knew exactly what the letters would say.

_Dear student,_

_I hope you've enjoyed our little surprise. In case you're mentally weak we just want to explain what has happened. You've been pranked. The theme of the prank is butterflies. Are you with us so far? You were in a cocoon this morning and emerged a butterfly. There is a significance behind the wings too. If you think about what your pyjamas look like you should get it. We also hope that you enjoyed your butterfly diet in the common rooms this morning. _

_We wish to tell you that Hogwarts has finally got some new pranksters. Ever since the departure of the Weasley twins this school has been sorely lacking in that department and we feel that it's time for someone to do something about it._

_Sincerely,_

"_Tom" and "Emma"_

_PS: We'll be back soon._

Hermione looked around to see the reactions. She saw the Gryffindors laughing, the Hufflepuffs trying to twist around to study their own wings, the Ravenclaws studying their fellow students' wings and the Dumbledores looking pretty pissed off. The Gryffindor students started a spontaneous applause and soon most of the school was joining in. Hermione felt proud.

Meanwhile Draco was watching the teachers' reaction. Most of them had simply stared when the students had arrived to breakfast wearing wings. Draco saw the annoying bossy ex-Ravenclaw get up and hand her letter to McGonagall and Snape, clearly expecting a bad reaction. They both studied the letter. When they were finished McGonagall passed the letter on to the rest of her staff. The reactions were mixed. McGonagall's lips were twitching, while Snape's face showed no emotion, as usual. Florgle laughed out loud, Trelawney muttered some nonsense and Hagrid was still trying to read the letter (or so Draco supposed). The bossy ex-Ravenclaw was still standing there waiting for her response. She would be sorely disappointed. McGonagall stood up and prepared to give a speech.

"Students! Your attention, please. We have read the letter and know what has happened. We are now aware of what has happened. Don't let this interfere with your day. Lessons continue as usual. That is all."

The ex-Ravenclaw (what was her name? Marva? Mary?) glared at McGonagall.

"Don't you have anything to say to the pranksters, Professor? They have broken school rules after all!"

"Very well, Ms. Browning."

The teacher stood up again and called the room back to attention.

"I just have a brief message to the pranksters. I'm quite amazed at your imagination and your handy spellwork. Well done! I think you'll both go far."

0-0

**A/N: So finally I told you what the prank was. I quite like it actually… Next chapter will be when Hermione commentates the Quidditch game she was assigned **


	17. Chapter 17

**Let's Make a New Tomorrow**

Hermione woke up, dreading the rest of the day. The weather certainly didn't help her mood as it was currently raining outside. This was the day she had wanted never to come. It was the day of the Quidditch match between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. And she was supposed to commentate it! She had, as the exceptional student she was, prepared by learning the players' names, all the obscure Quidditch rules and anything else she would need to know about the sport. In short, she was prepared.

But she really didn't want to do this.

When she'd finally got down to the common room Draco had been waiting for her. She coughed and pretended to be ill but he wouldn't hear her out. He claimed that she _had _to do it, that he'd been looking forward to this moment ever since they'd been handed their Dumbledore assignments.

So Hermione Granger was in a foul mood that morning.

Of course Ron Weasley and Harry Potter had no idea of this when they came to wish her luck. It ended up with her nearly biting their heads off. In fact, it was only Ginny's intervention that stopped her from murder. So this was not the day to mess with Hermione.

* * *

As Hermione made her way to the Quidditch pitch she thought of hundreds of reasons not to do this. She waved at some of the players arriving at the same time as her. She was _so_ not the right person for this. She sat down in the commentating box, nervously. She saw McGonagall giving her a thumbs up from the teacher seats. She was getting more and more nervous by the minute.

"Oh what the heck," she thought to herself as she got ready, "The majority of the school hates me anyway."

So she started with the mandatory introduction.

"Welcome, Hogwarts students, to this exciting match between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff: Ravenclaw, so far undefeated and Hufflepuff, who haven't won at all this year. As always we can look forward to a fair game and Madam Hooch, I am sure, will see to that."

She didn't notice anyone giving her weird looks so she kept up her commentating. Maybe this wouldn't be so awful after all… She couldn't be any worse than Luna at least.

"And Haring, I mean Dawkins has the Quaffle. Dawkins shoots… and misses."

It was going all right except for the fact that she kept on forgetting people's names. She wasn't incredibly good but she wasn't bad either.

* * *

The game went on for what felt like hours and Hermione was really tired. Suddenly she saw something golden fluttering in the air above her. It was, of course, the Golden Snitch. She really, really wanted this game to end and none of the Seekers were looking in her direction. It seemed like the Snitch was teasing her, just hovering there, flapping its _ever-so-cute_ little wings.

"Yo! Seekers!"

She had no idea what made her say this. This was crazy! It had to be cheating in some way, she was sure of it.

"Boyle, Harrow! Look over here!"

And the two Seekers looked, stared was more like it, and then set off toward her and the Snitch. They chased it for what seemed like a small eternity before the Hufflepuff Seeker, Medusa Boyle, caught it.

"And that's the end of the Quidditch game folks. I think it's time for some food, don't you?"

And she left the commentating box, well aware that one of the teachers would most probably come and tell her off in a couple of minutes. Harry and Ron were waiting for her when she left the Quidditch field, both with mutinous expressions.

"Hermione, what did you do?" Harry was looking at her like she was a disobedient child or something.

"Oh give it a rest, Harry. Who bloody cares?"

"That was the game of the century, 'Mione," Ron whined.

At that moment Hermione didn't care if she was behaving like a PMS:ing bitch. She just wanted to eat something and then go and study.

"If the two of you can't shut up then please don't talk to me. I'm hungry!"

She should have known, though. They never listened. When they tried to tell her off again she yelled at them and stalked off. She was just so tired, and hungry, and just _everything_. She went to the Great Hall and luckily someone had already served the food. So she ate there, completely alone for just a few minutes. After that she went to her room and completed all the assignments they had due for the next week and practiced different charms for a couple of hours. Finally it was time to go to bed, and she was truly exhausted. She didn't know what was wrong with her. Maybe she was coming down with something.

* * *

The next morning when she woke up she'd had another nightmare and it took her a few moments to realize where she was, that she wasn't being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange but was lying in her safe bed in Hogwarts. It also took her a couple of minutes to remember what had happened the day before and when she did she groaned. There wasn't much she could do though. She stood by her decision. Anyway it was a crazy idea letting her commentate Quidditch. Hopefully she would never have to do it again.

When she walked down to the common room there was no sign of Draco. She had a hard time deciding whether he had ditched her or if he'd simply slept in. While she was making her mind up he appeared in the doorway.

"Breakfast, Hermione?"

She smile at him and nodded. Maybe there was the slightest possibility that there was one person in the school that wasn't mad at her. They walked in silence to the Hall and sat down. When she'd eaten enough to feel like a person again she expected him to say something.

"So what do Potter and Weasley think of your latest escapade?"

She sighed. "They were furious of course…"

"I heard you gave them quite a tongue-lashing. Have you decided that they're unworthy of being your friends yet?"

She glowered at him.

He smirked, "Someone's in a foul mood this morning."

"Actually, I am. So deal with it!"

He sort of smiled before grabbing another pancake.

* * *

Classes that day were a drag. Since Hermione had already completed all her homework she was miles ahead of the rest of the class… as usual. She wished that someone would keep up with her for once. Even Draco who was, to be perfectly honest, extremely intelligent, didn't make much of an effort. That day she earned about 100 points for Dumbledore but people still gave her the evil eye when she walked through the corridors. She needed to distract them, to get them to forget. In short, she needed another prank.

She talked to Draco about it that day while they were playing a game of Exploding Snap. He seemed to like the idea to but they were having a hard time coming up with more awesome pranks. They thought about it that evening and the next day but they were really short on ideas. Most of Draco's suggestions had something to do with hurting Gryffindors and Hermione guessed they were half-hearted.

Hermione did get told off by some of the teachers but it seemed half-hearted. It was mostly Ravenclaws that seemed to hate her anyway.

About two days later Hermione had finally had a stroke of genius and she told Draco of it when they were patrolling the hallways, of course after casting a Muffliato.

"Are you sure it will work," he asked apprehensively, "I mean it's a great idea, but…"

"It will work but we have to practice."

"It would be brilliant if we could pull this off, Hermione."

And for the rest of the patrol they discussed exactly how they were going to make the prank happen.

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter will feature the prank. I hope you'll like it!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I know I haven't updated for ages and I'm so sorry! I've just had so much to do. I just started college and it's been really stressful and then it took a while for me to get back into the whole fan fiction thing. I'll try to update more frequently from now on! Hope you like this chapter anyway.**

* * *

**We call upon...**

Hermione and Draco were both exemplary students and had, as such, learned to function on very little sleep. They wanted to pull their prank off as soon as possible as Hermione was still getting sour looks from quite a lot of students after her Quidditch stunt. They practiced quite a few hours that night in the abandoned common room and went to bed, confident that they'd be able to pull it off.

The next morning they got up at the usual time and acted as they usually did in the morning. The had breakfast together and did their best not to act suspiciously. Hermione answered questions in class and Draco annoyed Ron by sitting too close to Hermione. Everything was the way it usually was.

After classes were finished Draco and Hermione studied in the library and then they had dinner. So far their day was completely normal. But the moment the left the Great Hall everything changed. They made their way quietly towards the Divination classroom. Draco disarmed the wards and they entered. Hermione spotted the crystal balls on the shelves and they set to work with phase one of their prank. When they were finished they made their way to the Potions classroom. Slughorn hadn't bothered with wards so they entered the classroom easily and started casting their spells. And so they continued, entering every used classroom in the entire school.

So far they had gone undetected but as they exited the last classroom and walked through the deserted corridor they heard footsteps. They looked at each other in shock. There was no time to cast a disillusionment charm. Draco grabbed Hermione's arm roughly and shoved her into a closet. He closed the door quickly behind them. They were both panting heavily as they listened. The person was standing just a few metres from them. Hermione tried not to breathe but it wasn't working. Her heart was racing, she felt faint and she needed to breathe deeply. Draco seemed to have recovered his composure though. He could hear that Hermione was struggling to calm herself and he desperately hoped that the person in the corridor would move on soon.

Hermione was freaking out. She was nearly hyperventilating by this time. She knew that she had dealt with much more dangerous situations before but fear isn't always logical. She couldn't stop it. They were going to be discovered. Suddenly, Draco seized her and held her tight. She tried to model her breathing after his and it helped. She could feel every breath he took and she tried to breathe when he did.

Draco continued breathing quietly and evenly. He suddenly realized the absurdity of the situation. Here he was stuck with Hermione Granger in a broom closet! He'd visited this exact broom cupboard several times before, but with a different intent in mind of course. Obviously. He would never ever bring Granger to a broom cupboard to snog. Out of the question.

The person outside started to move again and they heard him or her leave. Draco let go of Hermione and they waited and listened to see if it was safe. After a few minutes they dared to open the door and leave. They quickly returned to their common room, feeling very relieved.

* * *

The next day all hell broke loose. Approximately half an hour after the prank had taken place all the students were gathered in the courtyard and Hermione and Draco were trying very hard not to grin.

It was perfect. The divination students were crying, having witnessed their own horrific deaths in the crystal balls, the potions students were suffering from various illnesses caused by their potions, the transfiguration students had all been turned into animals, the ancient runes students now had horrific tattoos aka that days class work. Draco and Hermione had been in Charms and were as a result hovering a few feet above ground.

It took the teachers several hours to set everything right and they didn't look in the least amused. Hermione and Draco put on their best poker faces and no one seemed to suspect them. All the students were excused from classes for the rest of the day while the teachers stormed off toward the staff room. As soon as they'd gone everyone started talking about the prank. It had been a success.

* * *

It was not until later that evening that Hermione and Draco learned the news. The teachers had searched every single classroom in order to find the culprit. It had been hard detective work and so far several students had been interrogated. Even though both Hermione and Draco were relatively sure that they'd left no incriminating evidence they were still shaken by the fact that the teachers were taking this so seriously. They were learning the rules of what was accepted and what was not accepted as a prank at Hogwarts the hard way.

The next day they were both called to McGonagall's office. They tried to hide their anxiety as best they could when they walked in and took their seats. Hermione had never seen McGonagall look that angry at the sight of her. It made her want to cry. She kept a blank expression on her face however and awaited whatever question her headmistress wished to ask her.

Draco noticed that Hermione was struggling. He knew that Hermione was very fond of the headmistress and desperately hoped that she would still be able to keep quiet.

The headmistress cleared her voice and glared at them.

"As you know there was an incident yesterday that we are looking into. Any student found to be a part of the disturbance will face grave consequences."

Draco started, "Are you accusing me of..."

"I'm not accusing you of anything, Mr. Malfoy, I simply have some questions for the two of you."

Hermione spoke quietly and calmly, "Ask away, professor."

"Are you aware of which spells were used yesterday?"

Hermione took a deep breath, "Well I guessed a few of them professor. Some of them were quite elementary. Though there were two that I still have not figured out to the fullest extent."

McGonagall smiled at her protegée and Draco mentally sighed in relief before speaking.

"We were discussing it yesterday evening, headmistress. Perhaps you could tell us what..."

"I will not tell you anything of the sort, Mr. Malfoy. These spells aren't practical for anyone in your situation. They are simply a means of causing a disturbance."

He glowered at her.

She smiled at him, almost fondly, "I do have a very important question for the two of you though. When we were searching the classrooms yesterday, Professor Snape had the bright idea of also checking the broom cupboard."

Hermione and Draco froze.

"And he discovered something extremely interesting. Would the two of you mind telling me what this was doing there?"

She held up one thick, curly, long brown hair curled around a fine platinum blond hair.

Draco and Hermione looked at each other and for one brief moment it felt like they connected mentally.

Hermione sighed and looked down, her cheeks burning. "Tell her, Draco. It was going to get out sooner or later anyway."

Draco flushed and started to form the words, "Well, professor, it's like this... Hermione and I, well we became friends after a few weeks of school. And well, we became really good friends, like really good friends. And then well... ehem."

He looked quickly at her.

Hermione cleared her throat, "It's sort of my fault that no one knows, professor. Ron and Harry haven't even got used to me being friends with Draco, and I want them to get used to that first. So I... well I asked Draco if we could keep it a secret. And it's been going really well. No one's noticed a thing. And three weeks is a really long time to keep an act up."

Draco smiled at her, "We'd be grateful if you didn't tell them, professor."

They both looked at McGonagall who looked as if she were in shock. She was staring wildly at the two of them. Then she surprised them by grinning.

"Well congratulations you two! I'm so glad for you! This is just amazing!"

She smiled slyly and continued, "And you've earned me a bit of money too. Professor Snape and I were betting on how long it would take the two of you to get together. He thought it wouldn't happen until the end of the school year. I can't wait to see the look on his face!"


End file.
